Slavery in Latin America After the conquest of Mexico and South America, Spain and Portugal wanted to develop the economy and export resources for the benefit of the monarchy at home. Indians worked in silver mines in northern Mexico, under the supervision of blacks. The gold mining regions in central Mexico were hot and tropical, and after the introduction of disease, these areas became death zones. The indigenous people had no chance in these areas, so there was a need for people who were able to work in these conditions and who were easier to dominate. The answer to this question was the slaves of the African continent. The demand for African slave labor continued to increase due to plantation agriculture, the price of sugar, and the demand for miners. Africans were sought after as laborers because they were skilled and were skilled in tropical agriculture. Furthermore, their immunity to malaria and yellow fever made them suitable for work. There were some differences between urban and rural slaves in Latin America. The biggest difference was that urban slaves had much more freedom of association and economic opportunity than rural slaves. In urban areas, slaves and free blacks also worked as artisans. In the cities, slaves could locate and socialize with people from the same part of Africa. Sometimes city slaves banded together and formed societies that worked to systematically manumit slaves. Urban slaves certainly had more personal freedom and freedom to develop personal networks, and they also had more opportunities to purchase their own freedom. In reality slaves in the city had important functions in urban society. The slaves of the city had the opportunity to go to the market and do all the shopping for......middle of paper......book we also see many paintings and illustrations relating to the situation of slaves in Latin America. Two of the paintings we look at are two castas paintings from 18th century Mexico. In one of the paintings we see a mestizo, the son of a Spanish man and an Indian woman. In the other painting we see a mulatto, the son of a Spaniard and an African woman. Paintings of castas were supposed to represent different racial combinations in late colonial Mexico. The term castas referred only to those of mixed race. Slavery is an essential part of Latin American history; a part that one would like to be erased from history. Over the years there has been debate about which slaves fared the worst. This is really irrelevant, because being a slave is in itself terrible, and it is a fate that no human being should suffer.
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